PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A former neurological surgical resident was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison for illegally recording dozens of people in bathrooms at OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center.

Henry Chang, 30, showed no reaction when Chief Peoria County Judge Katherine Gorman imposed the sentence. Chang, clad in a blue suit, had been free on bond pending sentencing but was cuffed by security guards and taken into the back.

Gorman chastised the former doctor for his actions, telling him that “what you did was reprehensible, and you did it 56 times that we know of.”

The judge, having heard testimony from victims, noted the emotional issues caused by his actions.

You did an awful lot of damage in 5 weeks by someone in a position of trust, Gorman said.

The judge did offer him a chance to participate in the state’s impact incarceration program, or “boot camp.” The program can last up to six months and if Chang is accepted into and completes the program, then he can get out of prison earlier.

First Assistant States Attorney Dave Gast argued in open court how the victims need Chang to be put in prison for the maximum of six years. A lengthy prison term, he said would give them a few years of peace of not having to see him out in public.

Gast continued projecting, stating the former doctor’s actions were “despicable, disgusting, and terrible.”

Chang, he argued was only showing remorse because he got caught, and if he were “smarter,” he wouldn’t have been caught and would still be doing it. The prosecutor also said that while Chang did lose his medical license, in reality, it was given up the moment he placed the cameras and not taken from him.

Defense attorneys Hugh Toner and Adam Sheppard countered their client made a mistake but was improving. He was going to addiction counseling in Champaign and drives there three times a week for his therapy sessions.

Chang, they said, was in a 12-step program to help better himself and was sponsoring others toh help with their recovery. They ended by saying that while they do not think he should get the minimum sentence of probation, he also should not be catapulted directly to the maximum of six years.

In February, Chang pleaded guilty to two counts of unauthorized videotaping, felonies that could have sent him to prison for up to three years on each count. In return, Peoria County prosecutors agreed to drop 54 other and nearly identical counts. 

Emotions in the courtroom were heavy, and tears rolled down from both sides of the aisle, as Gorman handed down the five-year sentence, 2 1/2 years for each count.

Some of the victims testified they were still traumatized by Chang’s actions. Some said they can no longer use public bathrooms. Others told Gorman that they have to check around to make sure there are no cameras.

Three people appeared via Zoom to share the person they felt Chang was with all of them, saying he was selfless and a kind-hearted person.

Gorman acknowledged that while she has seen the growth Chang has gone through over the course of the investigation, she said that in the age of cameras and cell phones on every person, it had to be made clear that this type of behavior is not acceptable.

Chang was in his first year of residency and was working at Saint Francis from June 21 through Aug. 16, 2023. Both the hospital and a state official with the department that regulates medical licenses confirmed not long after that he was not employed by Saint Francis and that his temporary medical permit had been revoked.

At the time, hospital officials said they believed a single camera was placed under the sink in two different single-stall bathrooms in the staff area of the intensive care unit. Only employees were in the videos and no patients, officials said at the time.

However, the investigation revealed that recordings were made in two different bathrooms. In all, 412 videos were made, with 96 being renamed for the victim.

Chang was captured on some video checking the cameras to make sure they were angled properly, according to testimony. That was used by Peoria County prosecutors to argue that this was a conscious plan.